According to evidence presented at the guilty plea, authorities pulled over Morris’ vehicle during a traffic stop on January 18, 2012, as he was driving eastbound on Interstate 10 through Calcasieu Parish. A strong odor of marijuana prompted authorities to ask Morris if they could search the vehicle. Authorities found two sacks containing 216 U.S. Treasury checks that had not been cashed. The checks were from Social Security Administration accounts with Georgia addresses. The face value for the checks totaled $144,920. Morris admitted that he traveled to Houston, Texas, to find someone to cash or buy the checks. He could not find buyers because the checks were so old that most of the intended recipients had requested that replacement checks be issued. Morris was driving back to Georgia when he was stopped in Calcasieu Parish.

Morris faces up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release for possessing stolen mail. A sentencing date was not set.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Calcasieu Anti-drug Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph T. Mickel is prosecuting the case.